Communist Party Doe - Buzludzha, Bulgaria
Posted by: 
Torgut
N 42° 44.134 E 025° 23.703
35T E 368622 N 4732699
A dome in an abandoned building which used to be the site for the yearly meetings of the Bulgarian Communist Party
Waymark Code: WMDC4R
Location: Bulgaria
Date Posted: 12/23/2011
Views: 16
In 1891, shortly after the independence from Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire, following the Russian-Turkish war of 1878, a strange meeting took place not far from the spot where today we can find this impressive building: a group of Bulgarian socialists, led by Dimitar Blagoev, gathered to discuss strategies for the forthcoming times. It’s not surprising that the spot became a holly place, about 50 years later, when the Communists seized power in the country. Coincidentally, it was there that the last resistance following the failed raising of 1868 fall to the Turkish troops.
The construction of the building involved Engineering Units from the Bulgarian Army which worked side by side with volunteer artisans and artists, including some notorious painters and sculptors. The creator of the project was the architect Guéorguy Stoilov and the chief engineer was the general Delcho Delchev. After the ending of the works, every year a good number of people (about 40.000) gathered there to celebrate the past events, usually in late July or early August.
After the fall of the Communist State, the monument was abandoned. Several adornments were stolen and representations of the Communist leader Todor Givkov were vandalized.
Getting there is pretty straightforward. It just takes a car and a good map and you will find the spot, no difficulties expected. Be aware that Winter conditions can be harsh there and roads may be blocked. The whole place it’s spectacular. The building is one of the highlights, but the views from there are not to be ignored. Lower in the mountain you will find a couple of challets and restaurants and additional (small) monuments. It’s possible to park the car in that area and go up, as I suspect people would to for the gatherings, all the way to the main building.
Hours Open:
It's always open. The building is not maintained anymore.
Address: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
To log this waymark, please post a picture of the inside of the dome. Also, please write at least one sentence.